Apparatus for use in dressing hogs



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APPARATUS FOR USE IN DRESSING HUGS. No. 396,520.

Patented Jan. 22-, 1889.. Fig .1.

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APPARATUS FOR USE IN DRESSING HOGS.

No. 396,520. Patented JaJLZZ, 1889'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ricE.

JOHN THOMAS, on KANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN DRESSING HOGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,520, dated January 22, 1889.

Application filed March 21, 1888. Serial No. 268,039. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JoHN THOMAS, of Kansas City, *yandotte county, Kansas, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Dressing Hogs and Cattle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to apparatus for use in dressing hogs and cattle; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings which illustrate the manner of carrying out my invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lowering apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of a hoistingcage and its guide-hanger used in. making up the invent-ion. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the hoisting and lowering drums suspended from the ceiling of the building in which the ap paratus is located. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the action of certain elevating and suspending devices, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a combined beef-tree and support used in making up the invention.

A indicates the lowering-cage, which is sus pended from the overhead frame 7 5 by'means of chain 0, and upon which the traveling hooks 2, carrying the carcasses, are discharged. This cage is constructed of cast metal, with a vertical guiding-shank, c, at its upper end, to which chain C is attached, and with curved depression a in the upper side of its body and angular projection b on one end of said body. The body of said cage is curved outwardly, so as to make room for the upper end of traveling hooks 2 (which are run upon it) and throw the weight of said hooks directly beneath shank c.

B indicates guiding-hangers for cage A, and a suitable number of them are permanently suspended from frame 7 5 of the ceiling in localities where lowering and elevating are to be done.

Although a number of both cages and guidehangers may be made use of, yet I do not deem it necessary to speak of them in plural in the description which is to follow.

v The guiding-hanger B is constructed with a hollow body portion, the interior socket, B, of which corresponds with a cross-section of shank c of the cage A, which latter is made rectangular to prevent turning after it has entered socket B. Said hanger is also made with a suitable suspending-flange, f, at its Track D, which leads from the killing 10- cality to the cage A, has its terminal end I) cut off at an angle to correspond with projection b on said cage. At the locality where the animals are killed the track D is hung upon flexible track-hangers 100, and said hangers are provided with suitable springs, 61, at their upper ends.

60 indicates the lowering-drum, which is hung in suitable bearings depending from frame 75, and around which su-spendingchain O and weight-chain 6 are wound in opposite directions, said chain (5 passing up over suitable pulleys, h, attached to frame 75, and then down a suflicient distance and having counter-weight 5 hung upon its lower end, as shown. A friction-drum, Gr, is mounted rigidly on the shaft which carries drum 60, and a strap-brake, F, is made to encircle this friction-drum and is provided with weighted operating-lever E, to the outer end of which latter a cord or rope, E, is attached and passed up over a suitable pulley or pulleys, i, and thence down within easy reach of the operator. Saidstrap-brake is arranged to apply friction to the periphery of drum G, so that said brake with other devices for hoisting the carcasses from the place where the animals are killed and elevating the carcasses to storing-tracks I h I after they have been cleaned. Located upon the shaft of drum'H rigidly, so as to revolve therewith, is a friction-drum, 7, and a continuously-revolving friction-pulley, 8, is suitably arranged to engage its periphery at determined intervals to wind chain ll upon drum 11. Two of these chains ll are shown engaging drum H in Fig. at, both being wound thereon. The lower free end of either of the chains ll may be provided with a hook, 19, which is adapted to engage an eye in the upper end of traveling hooks 2.

Traveling hooks 2 are constructed as follows: The main shankis provided with a hook at its lower end, while its upper end is bent to n shape, so that an inclined portion,'9, is formed thereon, and a suitable double flanged wheel or sheave is journaled in thebent up-- per end.

I indicates parallel storing-tracks hung from the frame 75 or the ceiling in close proximity to one of the hoisting-chains H, and upon which a pair of traveling hooks carrying a carcass are to be deposited, as will be explained in the description of operation to presently follow.

I will now describe the particular construction of my combined beef-tree and support, as I consider it of great importance to the successful operation of the apparatus here shown.

The device is represented as awhole by the letter y, and its main body consists of a horizontal bar, ll, and a suitable bail, 14, whose ends are formed integral with the ends of said bar. At about the middle of the length of said bail an eye, 15, is located, to which the hoisting-chain is attached during use. Short arms or lugs 12 are also formed integral with the ends of the bar 11 and project at right angles to the body thereof, the lugs at both ends being located in corresponding planes, but projecting from opposite sides of said bar. Downwardly-proj ecting bent guide-lugs 13 are alsoformed integral with said bar and located a short distance from the ends which carry arms 12.

With this construction the operation is as follows: hen an animal is killed, a short chain, 41, is attached to one hind leg and to a traveling hook, 2, after which the hook 19, carried by hoisting-chain H, is inserted in the upper end of said traveling hook and the drum H is made to revolve by throwing friction-pulley 8 into contact with pulley 7 and the animal is raised from the floor. As upward movement continues, the inclined upper end, 9, of the traveling hook comes into contact with track D, and said track is thereby moved to one side, and said hook carrying the animal will be permitted to pass said track until it is a little way above the same,

when the track will by the action of the spring return tov its normal position, directly track and may be run off to the loweringcage or other locality. I-Ieretofore it has been necessary for this operation to be performed by hand, instead of automatically, as it is by this invention, the person who (lid it having to climb a ladder up near the ceiling and place the traveling hook on the track, considerable inconvenience and loss of time being experienced thereby. Upon contact of the wheel of the hook with the upper edge of the track springs 01 take up the shock caused by such contact, and thereby prevent breakage of the several parts, which might otherwise occur. After the hook carrying the animal reaches the lowering locality, it runs upon cage A, and the wheel of said hook "drops firmly into depression a on said cage. 'Previous to this, however, said cage was brought to the limit of its upward movement by the action of counter-weight 5, the brake having been thrown off by pulling on rope E, the weight-chain 6 reeling off of drum G0, and the chain 0 being rewound thereon. The guiding-shank c of the cage enters socket B in hanger B just before the limit of upward movement of the cage is reached, thereby guiding said cage to its proper stopping-point, where the angular projection 19 on said cage registers with angular end I) of track D. The flaring lower end, (1, of socket B" properly directs the shank c thereinto. A traveling hook, 2, carrying an animal being run onto the cage, as-before described, said animal is lowered to the floor to be skinned by pulling 011 rope E, which raises weighted lever E and loosens strap-brake F on friction-drum G, and the weight of the cage and the carcass it carries revolves drum and un win ds chain C therefrom, permitting the operation just described. After this the traveling hook' is disengaged from the animals leg and also from the cage, and the weight 5 (the suspendingchain (3 of which has been wound on drum 60 by the previous lowering operation) turns said drum in an opposite direction and rewinds chain 0 thereon, pulling the cage'up again to its normal position opposite the angular end of track D, where it will be ready to receive another loaded traveling hook.

The final step in the operation is as follows: After the animal has been skinned or otherwise operated on upon the floor, hooks 2 are at tached to the hind legs, and the combined tree and support 11 is applied to said hooks, the shank of said hooks being located between arms 12 and guidelugs 13, said arms 12 being inserted in the eyes of said hooks, above the wheels thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, after which a hoisting-chain, H, is applied to eye 15 of the tree and the animal is hoisted,asbefore, until the two traveling hooks are opposite the parallel tracks I, when said hooks are lowered and their wheels are made to rest on corre sponding tracks, after which said chain is removed from the tree. In Fig. 4. one of said tracks is shown in dotted lines. Finally, the

tree y is removed from the two hooks, which may be done in various ways or by simply driving one of the arms 12 out of engagement with the eye of one hook, when the other arm may readily be taken out, all weight and friction having been removed by driving out the other. After the tree 3 has been removed the carcass may be divided and the separate halves run off to the cooling-rooms or elsewhere, as may be required.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim is 1. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of a suitable supporting track suspended from overhead, traveling hooks adapted to engage said track, and a vertically-movable lowering-cage upon which said traveling hooks are discharged from said track, substantially as set forth.

2. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of a suitable supporting-track suspended from overhead, wheeled hooks adapted to travel on said track, a vertically-movable lowering-cage which registers with the end of said track when at the limit of upward movement and upon which said wheeled hooks are discharged to be lowered, a counter-weight which returns the cage to its normal position at end of the track after being lowered, and a suitable brake which controls the downward movement of the cage when loaded, substantially as set forth.

3. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combi nation of supporting-track D, suspended from overhead and provided with angular end I), vertically-movable lowering-cage A, provided with depression a and angular projection b, which latter is adapted to come into contact wit-h the end 1) of said rail when said cage is at the limit of upward movement, a suitable guidii'ig-bracket for said cage suspended near the point of contact of the cage and track, a counter-weight for said cage, and suitable brake mechanism which controls the downward movement of said lowering-cage, substantially as set forth. i

4. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of overhead track I), having angular end I), lowering-cage A, provided with angular projection b and curved depression a, guiding-hanger B, chain C, to the free end of which chain said cage is attached, chain 6,

carrying weight 5 at its free end, loweringdrum 60, around which said chains G and 6 are wound in reverse directions, friction-drum G, arranged to revolve with said loweringdrum, strap -brake F, which encircles said friction-drum, weighted lever E, and hand rope or chain. E, all. constructed substantially as set forth.

5. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of a hoisting-chain having a hook at its lower end, a Wheeled hook attached to the hook at the lower end of this chain, and a flexible supporting-track hung in the vertical path of said wheeled hook, substantially as set forth.

6. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of awheeled hook adapted to be moved in a vertical path, a supporting-track hung in the path thereof, so as to be moved to one side thereby, suitable devices for elevating the wheeled hook to said track, a lowering-cage upon which said hook is discharged from the end of said track, and suitable lowering devices for said cage, substantially as set forth.

7. In a slaughtering apparatus, the combination of parallel suspended tracks, wheeled hooks adapted to travel on said tracks and provided with eyes at their upper ends, the

V detachable combined tree and support 3 provided with arms 12,which project in opposite directions from its ends and engage the eyes of the hooks, and a suitable hoisting-chain, H, and drum H, all constructed and operated substantially as set forth.

8. The combined tree and support 1,430- sisting of main horizontal bar1l,bail 14,l1aving eye 15 formed at the middle of its length and having its ends attached to said main bar, arms 12, located at the ends of said bar 11, so as to project from opposite sides there of, and bent guide-lugs 13, located at a short distance from said arms and proj ectin gin opposite directions from said bar ll, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS.

lYitnesses:

S. S. MOREHOUSE, J. C. HIcDoN. 

